Evoking the Frog of Enlightenupment

Step One:

The pinky and ring fingers are woven together (as in preparing to play "here's the church").

Step Two:

The two middle fingers are folded over the ring fingers so that the middle finger on the left hand goes over the ring finger of the right, whilst the middle finger of the right hand goes over the middle finger of the left

Step three:

Each pointer finger is moved over and under the two ring fingers, forming the eye. This is the most difficult of the three movements, so be patient. Then, to create the Frog, bring your thumbs together, and then bring the two joined pointer fingers (along with the rest) down towards the thumbs.

Here is the completed frog without the eye-stickers.

Now, go to your secure area (where you won't encounter anyone who might question your sanity), and have a heart-to-heart (or hand-to-mouth) talk with your frog. Try practicing "inner ventriloquism" or "silent puppetry" - using an imaginary (but unvoiced) voice. Keep the mouth slightly open and wiggle your tongues (pinkies) to attract conceptual files.

Read Regarding the Tongue(s) for more on the meaning and functions of the Tongue(s) of the Frog of Enlightenupment

Forward Facing Frog

Frog, by Elyon

As those of us who know the Frog of Enlightenupment know, the hand frog faces its maker. You make the frog talk. The frog talks to you. It's a one-man/one-frog kind of thing. My son the research scientist showed me a Forward Facing Frog, as it were. Somehow he had figured out how to make a frog that, in true puppet-like-fashion, faced away from its maker. Finally, the Forward Facing Finger Frog can claim its rightful place on the cosmic lily pad of universal, uh, liliness. As for how to make the Forward Facing Frog, my son writes, cryptically:

Start with your thumb and forefinger
Interlace just like you do with your pinky and ring finger when it's the other way around
Wrap middle finger around forefinger
The other fingers are the mouth

One-handed half-frog

half-frog

Originated by Julie DeKoven, the one-handed half-frog (frogus-hemi-enlightenupmentus) allows those of us with two hands to engage in the frequently entertaining and rarely profound two half-frog dialog, whilst those of us with one hand to participate in froggish meditation regardless.

Cross-Frogging

Cross-Frogging is an unyet-documented and significantly amusing leap in the art of Frog of Enlightenupmenting.

Clearly Cross-Frogging is something for which you will require another Frog with whom to cross. Successful Cross-Froggery, then, becomes an act of transpersonal communion, wherein each participant is actually only a half-Frog, and yet combined, becomes a mutually manifested Frog of Enlightenupment. Genetically altered to produce a Frog that is neither your Frog nor the other's.

A frog that can speak for both of you, with oddly one voice.

A Frog of Mutual Enlightenupment.

Frog Apparel

I learned the Frog from a very spiritual Jesuit-turned-story-teller-and-mime - Ken Feit. A book about his work is available from Amazon.com: Foolish Wisdom : Stories, Activities, and Reflections from Ken Feit, I.F. (Itinerant Fool) His death was a loss to us all.